Boy, how 'bout that Connectix, hmmm? It seems like they just come up with one magical product after another. Back when RAM was actually expensive (we recall how thrilled we were when we bought a used 16 MB SIMM for $400 cash-- it was a huge bargain!), RAMDoubler was a cheap way to run more applications. And in the early days of the PowerPC, back when very little software was available in PPC-accelerated versions and so most computing was 68k code run in emulation, SpeedDoubler gave an instant boost to many early PowerPC adopters. Then there's the QuickCam, that nifty little eyeball-shaped video camera that made QuickTime capture and videoconferencing possible for a low price. And consider the astonishing capabilities of VirtualPC, which opens the door to run a lot of PC-only software on fast Macs.

How ironic, then, that their latest breakthrough is not a revolutionary productivity enhancer. In fact, it's a productivity reducer; Virtual Game Station lets you play scads of Playstation games directly on your G3 Macintosh. Performance is surprisingly good, compatibility is excellent for a 1.0 release, and it only costs $49. In fact, the product isn't actually available in stores yet, though Connectix sold some 3000 copies on the show floor at the recent Macworld Expo. It's a hit. In fact, it's so much of a hit that this is the killer app that reportedly has Apple negotiating to buy out Connectix lock, stock, and barrel. Apple Insider's got more on this juicy rumor.

See, Connectix has stated that they're planning on releasing a Windows port of their latest hit later this year, but work on the project hasn't started yet. It seems that Apple is determined to prevent a Windows version of VGS from ever hitting the market. A total buyout of Connectix would certainly accomplish that-- and give them the option of either bundling VGS on all future iMacs, or possibly even building the technology right into the Mac OS, for transparent Playstation compatibility. Still, would such a feature really convince a fence-sitting consumer to buy a Mac instead of a PC? After all, several Playstation games are already available in Windows versions, and there are other Playstation emulators being worked on for that platform (though none may be as complete and as downright cool as VGS). Who knows? Perhaps next Christmas Apple will have iMacs that come much closer to being a complete home entertainment appliance; with Playstation compatibility, more native Mac games, and maybe DVD video (complete with video-out to a television), such a machine could be a real marketing juggernaut-- especially if included VirtualPC technology makes every iMac Windows-compatible. Hmmm...